Strange Costumes

Submitted by BeeJay March 7th, 2011
Certifikitsch Winner

As a total sucker of old photographs I was very excited to find an old dusty paperbox with pics in the house of my husbands grandpa.

There was a lot of interesting stuff in it, but this photo caught my eye in particular. Our grandpa couldn´t tell who that is and for what reason they wore those quirky and kind of scary costumes, but I thought it´s a great find and worth to share!

8 Responses to “Strange Costumes”

    • BeeJay

      It´s an old paperbox we found in my husbands grandpa´s house as he moved. There are so many treasures in it, but this was definately the best one. I also love the penny farthing bicycle. The left one looks a bit like a devil to me :)

    • BeeJay

      Oh god, Denny! There are SO many photos in it. I will take another look inside this evening and maybe I can make another post with the best ones :)
      I have TONS of old family pics and many of them are absolutely gorgeous. My father has a twinbrother and they were and still are both passionate photographers. The twin-pics from the 50´s and 60´s are treasures, taken in strange vehicles, in clubs in Hamburg and Stuttgart and Venice/Italy too, always equally and very fashionable dressed in knickerbockers or glen plaid suits.

  1. BRBill

    Wow, those look like homemade Carnival costumes from another era and good ones at that, lots of imagination used in the making of them. Where was your husband’s grandpa from? I ask as they celebrate Carnival(Mardi Gras) in Europe too. I can’t help it, i have Mardi Gras on the brain right now…

    • BeeJay

      We live in germany/bavaria and most likely this was were the pic was taken, Bill. Definately know one knows Mardi Gras here, specially not this generation and not in this area. I was rather thinking of some circus that was around or maybe it was taken at a “Perchten Dance”. The Perchten Dance (Original “Perchtentanz”) is a tradition in early spring here to scare the winter away. People ususally wear other kind of costumes here, more looking like bears with huge goat heads (It´s a bit freaky, I know, lol). But after I don´t see any snow in this pic I´m not sure about it!

  2. windupkitty

    wow, these are incredible! i can’t wait to see more! i do love the box cover with the baby holding an electrical cord!!!????!!!! yikes!!!! is that a heating pad? I”M really not sure which carnival costume frightens me more….though i think the creepier one is the smaller one….:D

    • BeeJay

      Yes, it originally was the box of a heating pad for babies. The line below says “B with the child” what makes sense in english, but absolutely no sense in german :)
      This photo was the only one in the box that´s so remarkable though. Many World War 2 pics.. But two other photos show my husbands grandma in a geisha costume on a party. And a few funny bavarian leather pants shots were in the box too.